The Good Die Young
by nlizzette7
Summary: Chris, Freddie, and Grace meet on the other side. Rated T for language. One-shot.


There are two lost boys on the other side of Bristol.

The side that's empty and cold - where the kids go when they're too _goddamn _young and beautiful to die.

Where the water doesn't move and the grass doesn't grow. And the sun doesn't shine.

The sun never shines.

A blonde boy with shaggy blonde hair and sad eyes sits on a bench and waits there. For what? Well, he doesn't fucking know. He stares down at the gorilla on his shirt.

He looks up to see another boy trudging his way up the path - black hair and tan skin and bloody clothes.

"Where the fuck are we?"

"In Bristol, mate. What does it look like?" The blonde one waves his fingers around, being a smartass.

"But...it's empty. This isn't Bristol, this isn't right. One minute I'm taking a beating from this psycho, and..."

"Well, one minute I was having a spliff with my best mate and then..." the blonde boy trails off, snapping his fingers. The other looks like he might faint.

"Is this...are we...?" he stammers, looking around.

"Take a seat, mate. I'm Chris."

"Yeah. I'm Freddie."

:::

There are two lost boys on the other side of Bristol.

They watch all of the time.

_Sid, look into the fucking diner 'ya tosser. Cassie's right there._

_JJ, you never tell a girl she looks bigger than usual in her trousers. Jesus._

They pass laughs and make jokes and…

And mostly they want to tell their friends that _it's okay_.

_Cook, it's okay._

_Cassie, it's okay._

_It's not your fault, it's not your fault! _They yell it at them like they're watching a game on the telly, sometimes getting so excited that they jump up and down on their bench. _Don't cry for us._

_We're still here._

And there are times when it's not so fun. There are times when Chris watches Jal, and Freddie watches Effy.

There are times when they feel sorry for themselves, two empty lads who never got a chance to do anything. Two empty lads who are stuck exactly where they are as the world gets older.

Chris will not be the one to make Jal laugh.

Freddie will not be the one to pick Effy up.

They wallow in it.

Until Chris mumbles something under his breath, gets up, says it again.

"Fuck it."

"Sorry?"

"Fuck it. Go on, _fuck it_. Fuck it. You'll feel better. Just say it, then."

And together they scream. _Fuck it, fuck it, fuck it, fuck it._

Until their throats are sore, chests tight, and there are tears streaming down their faces. And they sink down to the ground because being a teenager was too fucking hard anyway. And now they can just _be_.

"You know," Freddie says once they've settled down. "You remind me loads of my best mate."

Chris nods at him, offers a smile, passes him a spliff.

"Cheers."

:::

There are two lost boys on the other side of Bristol.

And one day there's a lost girl, too.

Just waltzes in, all beautiful with wild hair, plucks the spliff out of Freddie's hand, and "I'm Grace. Pleased to meet you."

Five minutes in, and she's not satisfied with just watching and waiting and passing puffs.

"I'll bet we can do anything here, if we imagine it well enough. It's not like this is real life."

Freddie and Chris exchange glances, wondering if maybe she's not used to smoking spliff.

"Oh, look at your faces," she goes on. "Don't be losers. I'll go first."

She closes her eyes.

And she is on a stage. Her feet point into ballet shoes, her hair gathers up into a bun, and she wears the dress she never got to wear. The big recital she missed.

And she's dancing and smiling and crying – exactly where she's meant to be.

Chris goes next, and _bloody hell, look at the fucking water._

Thousands and thousands of...fish.

_Chris loves fish._

And then there's Freddie, kicking at the dirt and coming up with a skateboard. He hops on it, and it fits like an old pair of shoes. He glides past Chris' enormous fish tank, the lights on Grace's stage.

_And now he can skate around. He can just...skate around._

:::

There are three lost kids on the other side of Bristol.

And it's about time they're found.

It's like they all know when it's time to say goodbye. They were only pit stops in each other's lives, some little push of fate to get them all together.

To give them one last friendship.

They stand at the edge of the water.

"I'll never forget you boys,"Grace smiles. And it's like she's about to say something else until she's distracted by something in the sky. Something huge and white and _just for Grace. _

_The real Grace._

It's a castle in the clouds.

And before she leaves, she kisses their cheeks. One for Freddie. One for Chris.

And one in the air for Rich. _Good-bye, my tin man._

Chris isn't too far behind her.

"It's my brother...do you see my brother there? Jesus." Chris nearly goes barreling up the sidewalk until he remembers. He turns to look at Freddie.

"Was nice to meet you," Chris says. "And remember..."

"Fuck it," Freddie finishes, laughing. He sticks his hands in his pockets. "See you around?"

"'Course, mate," Chris grins, jogging off so quickly that his pants nearly fall down. Freddie stifles a laugh. Left alone, he sits at the edge of the water, old sneakers dangling over it. He closes his eyes, sees Effy one last time.

_Love you forever. And even then._

He opens his eyes and there's a white swan floating by in front of him. That's fucking weird. There are never swans in the...

Light footsteps interrupt his thoughts and stop right in front of him. Freddie looks up at a beautiful woman with warm eyes, just like his. Her lips curve into a smile, and she reaches out for his hand.

"Mum?"

:::

And three lost kids left the other side of Bristol.

They left love behind.

They left pain behind.

_Blood clots and car crashes and baseball bats._

All of that is gone now. They left it all there.

Where fish live forever.

And opposites attract.

And you really can take anything if you want it enough.


End file.
